If you thought 2014 was an outstanding year that gave way to great new developments, 2015 could easily be considered epic. In the last 12 months, we’ve seen the rise of the supertalls along Billionaires’ Row, a few groundbreaking structures that challenge traditional architectural geometry, and starchitect-designed towers with absurd asking prices.

Here we’ve vetted 12 of the hottest buildings in NYC, noteworthy for their envelope-pushing design, record-breaking prices, or unprecedented height. So, in our second annual poll, we want to know what you think: Out of the dozen, which deserves the title of “2015 Building of the Year?” To help you make an informed decision, we’ve provided an overview of each contender, along with news highlights from the year.

We’re taking votes up until 11:59 p.m., Monday, December 7th, and we will announce the winner on Wednesday, December 9th. Happy voting, 6sqft readers!

53W53

After being stalled for nearly 10 years, plans for Jean Nouvel‘s 53W53  MoMA tower were revived last fall to the excitement of many. While 2014 saw an injection of cash into the project—namely $85 million for air rights and an $860 million construction loan—2015 gave way to a slew of new design details and pricing for the posh pads that will fill the 82-story tower. As one would expect, this is not your average apartment building and luxe living spaces are going for $21.7 million for a 55th-floor three-bedroom and $39.2 million for a 72nd-floor three-bedroom duplex (listings here). Residents of the 139 condos will also be given a complimentary membership to the Museum of Modern Art, a perk that includes unlimited free admission, access to preview events, screenings, and much more.

Top headlines of 2015:

• Units Finally Hit the Market at Jean Nouvel’s MoMA Tower
• Jean Nouvel Says He Has ‘No Favorite Color’ at Event Honoring 53W53
• Interior Renderings Revealed for Jean Nouvel’s MoMA Tower

56 Leonard

Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron, 56 Leonard Street topped out in July and very much lives up to its playful “Jenga building” moniker—the cutting-edge design truly a feat of engineering. Units in the 58-story condo tower have been selling quickly, most of which are in contract at the moment, including its eight full-floor and two half-floor penthouses, one of which was priced at an incredible $34.5 million.

Top headlines of 2015:

• Construction Update: Tribeca’s ‘Jenga Tower’ 56 Leonard Tops Out
• See a Time-Lapse Video of 56 Leonard Going Up
• Checking In on 56 Leonard: The Rising Star in the Downtown Skyline

111 West 57th Street

111 West 57th Street quietly revealed itself last year, but 2015 was all about making its ultra-skinny, 1,438-foot stature known. Although the SHoP Architects-designed tower won’t be the city’s tallest, it will rise from the heart of Billionaires’ Row, near perfectly on axis to Central Park to give it vertigo-inducing, unobstructed views like this one here. There will be just 60 units in the supertall: 46 in the new tower and 14 in the landmarked Steinway Hall building at its base. According to the building’s teaser site, prices will start at $14 million. The priciest homes will climb to over $100 million.

Top headlines of 2015:

• Check Out the Views From 1,438 Feet in the Air at 111 West 57th Street
• A Behind the Scenes Look at How SHoP’s Stunning Facade at 111 West 57th Street Will Come to Life
• Interior Renderings for SHoP’s 111 West 57th Street Tower Revealed

150 Charles Street

While not as tall as the other towers on this list (it’s just 15 stories), the Cook + Fox Architects-designed 150 Charles Street is a West Village newcomer that’s been attracting big-ticket buyers and interest from the rich and famous since it sold out while under construction in 2013. Its 91 condominium apartments and 10 four-story private townhouses recently pulled in one of the year’s most notable buys, a sprawling ten-room pad that sold for $12.9 million to rocker Jon Bon Jovi. Amenities in this money-magnet include a 75-foot lap pool, 40,000 square feet of private outdoor space and a full-service garage.

Top headline of 2015: 

• Jon Bon Jovi Scoops Up a 10-Room Village Condo for $12.9M

Image © Wade Zimmerman courtesy of Agence Christian de Portzamparc (ACDP)

One57

One57 may no longer be the tallest residential building in NYC, but there’s no denying the impact that this 1,005-foot tower has had on the New York skyline and the insane real estate prices we’re seeing today. This Central Park supertall is credited with setting off the ultra-luxury building boom and as such it holds numerous records: it’s home to the city’s most expensive condo (that $100 million penthouse); it also holds the city’s second most expensive condo (a.k.a. hedge-funder Bill Ackman’s $91.5 million party pad); and above all it’s the city’s most expensive residence period. 

Top headlines of 2015:

• One57 Leads New Report of Manhattan’s Top 100 Condo Buildings
• Seven Floors of One57 Hit the Market for $250 Million
• Bill Ackman Closes on One57 Penthouse for $91.5M, Second Most Expensive Condo Sale Ever
• One57 Received $66M in Tax Breaks in Exchange for Just 66 Units of Affordable Housing

220 Central Park South

220 Central Park South is still a ways off from completion, but this tower designed by Robert A.M. Stern is already making headlines with its reported $250 million mega-penthouse—the would-be most expensive condo in the city if rumors are true—and the fact that it’s barely out of the ground and over half the building is sold. In all, the 430,000-square-foot building will have a total of 118 units, split between a 69-story limestone tower along West 58th Street and a 14-story villa along Central Park South.

Top headlines of 2015:

• 220 Central Park South Costs $5,000 Per Foot to Build, Now 50 Percent Sold
• Hedge Fund Tycoon May Be the Buyer of $200M Penthouse at 220 Central Park South
• Construction Update: Robert A.M. Stern’s 220 Central Park South Begins Race into the Sky

Rendering by DBOX

432 Park

432 Park may have been inspired by a trashcan, but the design of Rafael Vinoly‘s tower is not to be tossed. Currently the tallest residential building in both NYC and the Western Hemisphere, this skyscraper rings in at an impressive 1,396 feet in height and can pretty much be spotted from anywhere in and around the city. The tower was topped off late last year and is currently nearing completion with residents expected to move in by the summer of 2016. If you’re not convinced that this supertall is a superlative phenomenon destined to become the most successful condominium ever erected in the city, check out our recent roundup of staggering stats and renderings here.

Top headlines of 2015:

• 432 Park in Numbers: New Renderings and Superlatives Will Blow You Away
• Developers Chop 432 Park’s Full-Floor Apartments Into Smaller, Cheaper Units
• Rafael Viñoly’s 432 Park Reportedly Showing Cracks in Its 1,400-Foot Facade
• A Trashcan Inspired the Design of Rafael Viñoly’s 432 Park Avenue
• Sources Say Saudi Billionaire Is Buyer of $95M Penthouse at 432 Park

520 West 28th

As Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid‘s first ground-up development in New York City, 520 West 28th pulls out all the stops you’d expect from a creative like Hadid who is known to favor otherworldly forms over conventional shapes. Located along the High Line, her 11-story structure is currently under construction, but when complete it will have 39 distinctive two- to five-bedroom homes priced from $4.95 million to $50 million. The luxurious offer also extends to the building’s amenities which will include the city’s first private IMAX theatre, a reservable spa suite, a 75-foot saline pool, a dedicated wellness level with gym and a cold-press bar, a 2,500-square-foot “sculpture deck,” a lounge with an outdoor kitchen, and robot parking.

Top headlines of 2015:

• Listings Launch for Zaha Hadid’s High Line Condos
• Zaha Hadid Launches Sales at Her High Line Condos, Talks the Evolution of NY Architecture

550 Madison Avenue, AKA The Sony Tower

In 2014 it was announced that Philip Johnson’s masterpiece at 550 Madison Avenue would be partially reinvented at its 14th through 33rd floors as luxury condos. The move, we found out this year, would make for one of the city’s most expensive residential buildings, boasting a $1.8 billion sellout which would include a $150 million triplex penthouse. Details are still scarce, but we think it’s safe to say that the dollar amounts pinned to any announcement made in the near future won’t be short on zeros or commas.

Top headlines of 2015:

• Luxury Parisian Hotel May Be Coming to Chetrit’s Sony Building Conversion
• Record $150M Sony Building Penthouse Will Also Be the City’s Biggest
• Chetrit Group Plans $1.8B Sellout for 96 Condos in the Sony Tower

Central Park Tower

What will eventually be the tallest residential tower in New York City, the Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture-designed Central Park Tower (formerly the Nordstrom Tower) has had plenty of ups and downs in 2015—specifically with its height. Earlier this year it was reported that the tower would eclipse One World Trade by 19 feet to reach 1,795 feet–then those rumors were squashed by Extell developer Gary Barnett; it was then reported that the tower would nix its spire, bringing the building’s height down from 1,775 feet to 1,550 feet. While no one is positive just how tall the tower will be—or exactly how it will look, for that matter—what is known is that Barnett is looking to make a killing on this development. Barnett is shooting for a $4.4 billion sellout—the most expensive the city’s ever seen.

Top headlines of 2015:

• The Nordstrom Tower Loses Its Spire
• Extell Shoots for a $4.4B Sellout with the Nordstrom Tower, the Most Expensive Ever
• Official Rendering Revealed for Nordstrom Tower: No Surprises but Potential for More Height
• The Nordstrom Tower Will Not Be Taller than 1 World Trade Center, Says Developer Gary Barnett

Via, AKA BIG’s 57th Street Tetrahedron

Danish starchitect Bjarke Ingels’ epic pyramid, Via, along the West Side Highway on West 57th Street is another of the city’s most hotly-anticipated buildings. Measuring roughly 800,000 square feet, this modern masterpiece is best known and lauded for its unconventional tetrahedron shape and will soar 460 feet from its site. Unsurprisingly, thousands are vying for one of the pyramid’s 142 affordable units, which started taking applications last month. Recently-released interior photos show that both market- and affordable-rate residents will be spoiled with bright modern interiors with expansive river views, individual balconies, and lots of luxe amenities.

Top headlines of 2015:

• REVEALED: Inside Bjarke Ingels’ Spectacular 57th Street Tetrahedron
• Affordable Housing Lottery Launched for Bjarke Ingels’ Epic Pyramid, VIA 57 West
• VIDEO: Take a Sweeping Drone Tour of Bjarke Ingels’ West Side Pyramid
• Construction Ramps Up on Far West Side Mega-Rental at the Foot of Bjarke’s Ski Slope

30 Park Place

Robert A. M. Stern’s 30 Park Place is a mixed-used tower rising to combine the Four Seasons Hoteland Resorts and 157 luxury condominium in Tribeca. After its completion in 2016, it will stand at 926 feet, making it the tallest residential building in the downtown area. Extraordinary amenities will include a 75-foot swimming pool, conservatory and much more.